Microsoft might soon be ending Scroogled campaign

It might be signs of an impending apocalypse or it might just be the start of new level-headed thinking in Microsoft. The Redmond-based tech company is now believed to be close to axing its rather divisive "Scroogled" stint, though at the time of writing that possibility is once again in limbo.

For those who haven't been paying attention to Microsoft's antics, Scroogled is a marketing campaign that tries to make Microsoft the poster boy of all that is right, by shedding light on Google's questionable policies and practices. One such practice is the scanning of email done by Google in order to serve up more personalized ads, something Microsoft found condemnable. Ironically, Microsoft itself was found guilty of violating email privacy for the purposes of tracking down leaks within the company's ranks. The Scroogled campaign has drawn both praise for well-delivered humor, as well as criticism for hypocrisy.

Regardless, that Scroogled era might soon be over. The hints came from a Q&A session on Yabbly with Corporate Microsoft VP for Bing Experiences Derrick Connell. According to him, Microsoft has achieved what it set out to do with Scroogled and is now done with the campaign, suggesting that the company might soon be pulling down the curtains on it. However, as of the moment, everything is still status quo. The Scroogled website is still up, its Twitter account is still alive, and merchandise are still available for fun and profit.

Scroogled, however, might live to see another day, week, month, or year. Microsoft has requested that Connell's answers to all questions be removed from Yabbly. Though it's not just the one about Scroogled that was taken down, we wonder if it is what prompted Redmond to act that way. Furthermore, Mark Penn, who created the Scroogled campaign, is now Executive VP of Advertising and Strategy at Microsoft, so he might have a thing or two to say about when Scroogle will really meet its end.